Apparel belt



March 18, 1958 E. J. LUTZ 2 7 2,827,214

APPAREL BELT File d sept. so, 1954 INVENTOR. Ease/v! J Zurz.

United States Paw APPAREL BELT Eugene J. Lutz,'Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Pioneer Suspender Company, Darby, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 30, 1954, Serial No. 459,310

4 Claims. (Cl. 224-) This invention relates to improvements in an apparel belt, and more particularly an apparel belt in which a key may be retained, v a

An object of this invention is the provision of an apparel belt in which means are provided for the retention of a key such as a spare house key, car key or the like.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an apparel belt in which a key may be retained, generally obscured from view when the belt is worn.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of an apparel belt in accordance with this invention in operative" closed position. a

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the rear of the belt with the belt end-portion folded back upon the portion of the belt adjacent the buckle.

Figure 3 is an elevation with the belt end-portion in its open position not connected to the portion of the belt adjacent the belt buckle.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Figure 1 except that a portion of the folded back belt end-portion is disconnected from the belt portion adjacent the buckle permitting the key to be removed from the belt.

Referring to the drawings, designates a belt of leather, fabric or the like having a buckle 11 of conventional construction, whose tongue 12 is adapted to pass through openings or apertures 13 in the end 14 of the belt remote from the portion of the belt carrying the buckle 11. A loop 15 of conventional construction is provided to retain the belt-end 14 juxtaposed to the outer face of the belt when the belt is being worn as shown in Figure l.

Buckle 11 may be retained in position on belt 10 by having its tongue 12 pass through a longitudinallyextending slotted opening 16, and by having the belt end-portion 17 (beyond slotted opening 16) folded back so that its inner face 18 is juxtaposed to the inner face 19 of the belt (beyond slotted opening 16).

A relatively thin panel or flap 2b, of leather, cloth or the like, is applied to the inner face 19 of the belt. The panel 20 is retained in position by rivet portions 31 and 32 of the knobs or male-halves 21 and 22 of snapfastener, which knob-securing rivets 31 and 32 pass through both the body of the belt 10 and the flap or panel 20the latter not being otherwise secured to the belt 10. Knobs, studs or male snap-fastener members 21 and 22 are arranged to interlock with mating female snapfastener members 23 and 24 on the belt end-portion 17 and to retain the belt end-portion 17 in its folded-back 2,827,214 Patented Mar. 18, 1955 position when such mating securement is eifected (see in particular, Figure 4).

A slot-like opening 25 is provided in the panel 20, transversely of the length of flap or panel 20with the center of said opening 25 generally on the center-line betweensaid knobs or studs 21 and 22. Slot-like opening 25 is spaced from the knob or stud 21 a sufiicient distance so that a key 26 (which may be a house-key, carkey or the like) may be retained on knob or stud 21 by passing the latter through the aperture 27 in the head portion 28 of the key 26. The stem portion 29 of key 26 is first passed through opening 25 before inserting the stud 21 in the hole 27-With the stem inserted into the nesting space 39 intermediate the juxtaposed inner faces of flap or panel 20 and the inner face 19 of the belt. Flap 20 also serves to secure loop 15 in its operative position.

When belt end-portion 17 is folded back and knob or stud 21 interlocked with mating female snap-fastener member 23, the key 26 is securely (but removably) retained in position. To remove key 26 it is only necessary to disengage knob or stud 21 from mating female member 23 and slide key 26 ofi knob or stud 21 and withdrawing key 26, as shown in Figure 5.

The belt of the present invention permits a spare key to be carried about by the wearer, so that if the wearer has forgotten or mislaid his regular key, he nevertheless has an extra key available to him.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, the following is claimed:

1. In an apparel belt in which the belt-end portion beyond the buckle is folded back over the inner face of the belt portion adjacent the buckle, the improvement comprising a flap juxtaposed to the inner face of the belt portion adjacent the buckle, said flap having an opening therein to receive the stem of a key, the portion of the flap adjacent said opening forming a nesting space between the fiap and the inner face of the belt for receiving a key, a closure projection member extending perpendicularly from said flap away from the inner face of the belt, a mating closure member on the belt-end portion arranged to interlock with the aforementioned closure projection member and to retain the belt-end portion in its folded back position, said closure projection member being spaced from said opening a suflicient distance so that the hole in the head of a key may be retained on said closure projection member with the stem of the key passing through the opening and received in the nesting space intermediate said flap and the juxtaposed inner face of the belt, whereby when said belt-end portion is folded back and the mating closure members are interlocked, a key may be carried and securely but removably retained within the folded back portion of the belt.

2. An apparel-belt having a buckle at one end and having an end-portion thereof, at its buckle-end, folded back upon itself and secured to the facing portion of the body of the belt in two securement-zones, by a securement in each of said zones, one at the end of said folded-back portion and one near the fold-line with at least one of said securements being a quick-attachable and quickdetachable fastener, with the portions of the folded-back portion of the belt and the body of the belt intermediate said two zones providing a nesting surface open along the edges of the belt, a key-receiving panel intermediate said two portions of the belt which are folded back upon each other and disposed between said zones of securement, said key-receiving panel having an opening therein back upon itself and secured tolthetf aci g liqrtion of jthe body ofjthe belt in twof securement-zgnes, 'by aflseeure ment in each of said-zones, one at the end of sa'id fo lded- 7 back portion and one near the fold-line with at least one 4 of said securements being a quick-attachable and quickdetach'able fastener, with theportions of the folded back portion 'of theibelt'andthe bodylofcthe beltintermediate folded-back portion and the facing body portion'of the belt, one at the end of said folded-back portion and one near the fold-line, with the portions of the folded back portion of the belt and the body of the belt intermediate said two snap-fasteners providing a'nesting surface open along the edges of the belt, 'a k ey-receiving panel intermediate said two portions uofthe belt which are folded back upon each othen and fiisposed between said two a snap fasteners and permanently secured bylonerof the members of each snap-fastener, said key-receiving panel may be inserted.

said two [zones providing; a-.nesting .sut face.open along a the edges of the belt, a key-receiving panel intermediate said two portions of the belt which areioldedbacli upon .each other and disposedibetween said zones ,of' securement, said key-ieceiving-panelbeing .secnred in theg two above-mentioned tsecurementzonesa and beingfree-there- Y between and; having an opening therein intd which'the steni of'thek ey-may beg-inserted. t r a .4. An apparel-belt having agbnckle :-;at;one .endrand having an tend-portion thereof atk its buckle-end, folded back ,upon itself, two snap-fasteners :intermediatexthe References Cited he meet this patent i i 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 V 1,490,941 Sachs A nzz', 1924 1,517,588 1 Saski r r Dec. 2,1924 2,078,325 7 Hallock ;i Apr- 27; 1937 2,435,032 "Campbell ;Jan. 27, 1948 2,442,621 Silverstein; ;lune 1, 1948 V V fFQRE GNPATEEN I v -25:,T564 'iGreat' Britain -g Dec. 14, 1901 

